Confessions and Friendship
by Hallow Sisters On My Mind
Summary: Fed up of Ethel's taunting Mildred says something to hurt the girl and instandly regrets it but when both girls have confessions could they maybe become friends? WW 2017. Oneshot.


A/N: Thank you to the stargate time traveler for giving me this idea. I thought it would be good if Mildred and Ethel had a heart to heart. Enjoy.

* * *

 **Confessions and Friendship**

* * *

Mildred Hubble was on her last nerve as she had pretty much had the day from hell. First, she caused her potion to explode, then she crashed during her flying class and broke her broomstick, then her bag broke sending her work everywhere, then in her spells class she did the wrong potion and she had tripped up whilst taking her soup to the table in the hall and send it flying everywhere and now she had to deal with Ethel Hallow.

The group of second years were gathered in a hallway waiting to mirror their parents and talking quietly amongst themselves, Ethel tormenting Mildred.

"Why are you even bothering to mirror your mother? All you have to tell her is how you are hopeless at everything" Ethel mocked Mildred knowing the disaster of a day the girl had had.

"Shut up Ethel" Enid replied with an glare at the blonde.

"I am just being truthful, I mean her mother must be so disappointed that she got her for an daughter, she can't even tie her shoelaces without tripping up" Ethel went on mocking the girl even more.

"You are pathetic Ethel" Maud replied sticking up for her friend.

"How is it my fault if Mildred can not even do an simple spell, it is not my fault she is not from OUR world" Ethel went on Drusilla smiling next to her.

Mildred was fed up of the girl's cruel remarks, she was to much to handle and after the day she had had she could not be bothered with her which is why Mildred decided to reply not really thinking before she spoke.

"Shut up Ethel, why are you even mirroring your mother anyway, she doesn't even love you" Mildred replied.

After Mildred said this everyone fell silent. Teachers, Students and pretty much everyone in the school knew that this was true but it was an unspoken pact that no-one ever talked about this, not even her sisters would dare tell her this even though they too knew it was true.

Ethel had been smirking but as she heard them words her face turned into an look of sadness, an incredible look of hurt and then she started to walk away bashing into Mildred in the process, Mildred could already hear her crying as she walked into her.

"That told her, good one Millie" Enid said happy the girl had being told a few home truths.

"Let's see how smug she is now" Maud replied with a smile.

However despite her friends congratulating her, Mildred instantly regretted what she had said. She knew how much it would hurt the girl and despite not really liking the blonde she did not want her to suffer either. She knew how sensitive the subject was to Ethel. Mildred waited outside the mirror room for Felicity to come out for ages until she could not live with the guilt and left the corridor looking for her enemy.

* * *

Mildred looked in the library and the classrooms and even dared to venture into the girl's bedroom but she could not find her. She then saw her sister Esmerelda and thought Ethel might of gone to her.

"Esmerelda have you seen Ethel?" Mildred asked the older girl.

"Not since breakfast no" Esmerelda replied as Mildred went and walked back the way she had came "Why what is wrong?" Esmerelda asked after her but she did not reply. If Esmerelda found out what Mildred had said to her precious little sister she would probably lose her cool and show the Hallow side she normally kept hidden.

Mildred continued to search around the school and was just about to give up thinking she was in the grounds when she heard crying coming from a storeroom. Mildred opened the door and walked in.

Ethel was sitting on the floor with her legs to her chest crying making Mildred feel even more guilty, she slowly walked into the room and sat next to her.

"Ethel?" Mildred said to get her attention. The blonde looked up at her.

All the smugness Ethel was known for was gone in that moment and the young girl looked incredibly hurt and was clearly full of sadness and the girl looked incredibly vulnerable. Mildred realised this was the real Ethel behind the tough exterior she always wore, she was really a troubled sad child that bullied people to try and stop the pain she felt. Mildred understood at this moment why Esmeralda never gave up on her sister, she realised this was probably the girl Esmerelda knew and she could not give up on her.

"Go away leave me alone" Ethel said without her normal fierceness. She hugged her knees laying her head on them.

"Ethel...I am sorry I really should not have said that it was really low" Mildred said quietly apologising to the blonde girl.

"But you are right" Ethel said tears falling out of her eyes.

"I am sure she does love you, she probably just ...has favourites...which is so wrong but I am sure she still cares for you" Mildred replied trying to make the girl feel slightly better.

"She blanks me everytime she sees me...she doesn't love me she never has...it sucks being in the middle, Esmerelda is perfect and smart and kind and then Sybil is just adorable and sweet, the middle child is not cute and they are not as smart as the eldest" Ethel told Mildred admitting what she honestly thought.

Mildred sat there in silence trying to understand even though it was so hard for her being an only child. She had never had to compete for her mother's love and attention or share her with anyone.

"You know...when I first met you I was really worried about my entrance exam which made me say stupid things...then I realised your mother loves you and it was to much" Ethel admitted something to her arch rival. "I couldn't work it out, you are from the normal world, but you are clearly the most important thing in her life and then you have great friends and everyone loves you in the school even Esmie is more keen on you than me" Ethel told Mildred as she cried more hugging her knees.

Mildred listened to her enemy's confessions sadly. Ethel clearly had a lot of problems most people failed to see. Ethel kept this all bottled up and Mildred felt sad. If Ethel's mother had been nicer to her maybe just maybe she wouldn't of had to of been jealous of Mildred for having the one thing she always wanted...a loving mother.

"I will admit I have great friends...but maybe you could too if you were...nicer to people...your attitude puts people off" Mildred blatantly told her, and everyone loves me in the school? I don't think HB loves me I still think she wants rid of me" Mildred said pausing to laugh knowing HB did not love any pupil. "As for Esmerelda preferring me are you kidding? that is not true she loves you to death you just don't see it because well...you don't really pay attention to her...you blank her a lot" Mildred told Ethel surprised Ethel honestly was so blind that she really did not see her sister's love for her and then she realised that Ethel had thought the girl preferred her for sticking up for Mildred from time to time.

Ethel looked down by this point no longer crying but she seemed deep in thought.

"And yes my mum loves me, I am my mother's world but you know you should not be jealous of me" Mildred told Ethel.

"Why? I will never have an mother who loves me like you do" Ethel finally replied quietly. She gulped as she let the words leave her mouth, hearing herself say them made the whole thing seem more real.

"Maybe not, but you have an lot more people that love you" Mildred started. Ethel looked up at her interested.

"I have no other family, my mum was a only child and her parents died just after I was born, I have never known my father or any of his family, my mother is the only person I have" Mildred told Ethel not thinking the girl actually realised that.

"Whereas you have your grandparents, I met your grandma in the mists remember...she was an lot like you I bet she loves you, and I bet you have aunts and uncles and cousins who do to, and Esmerelda couldn't love you more...or Sybil she clearly likes being with you even though you two fight like no tomorrow" Mildred said having seen the fights between the youngest sister and Ethel during that year now Sybil was an first year.

"Your life really isn't that bad, so your mother doesn't really care...or your father I assume but you have an whole group of people who do love you very very much, if my mother did not love me I would have no-one" Mildred told her.

"I...I didn't realise she was your only family" Ethel admitted thinking that she had grandparents or aunts or uncles somewhere. The girl had never really thought about it before.

"Not a lot of people do, you know I was jealous of you too, growing up in this world and knowing everything about it and you are really smart and I have always wanted a sibling, it is so lonely being by yourself" Mildred admitted as she really did feel some jealousy towards the girl too. Mildred loved her mother very much but she had being lonely during her childhood as well with no sibling to play with.

"You may have Sybil but Esmie is mine" Ethel said with an small smile as she joked and Mildred laughed. She knew the girl was joking and she wouldn't give her younger sister away either.

"You know bullying people will not make your mother love you, it is not my fault, Ethel your life is really not that bad in fact compared to some people it is quite good you need to stop feeling sorry for yourself because one person does not love you, one day your family might not be there and then you will miss them, don't take what you have for granted Ethel" Mildred said helping the girl.

Ethel wiped her eyes and looked up feeling better. Mildred was right she really was not that badly off. She had never really stopped to think about it before. She had always thought she had such a bad life because her mother did not love her never bothering to think about the people who did.

"I am sorry...we might of being friends if I had being nicer to you" Ethel told Mildred.

"I am sorry too about your entrance exam and everything ...and you know it is not to late...we don't have to hate each other you know" Mildred told Ethel.

"But I am an bad person" Ethel said with an sigh the girl clearly believing it as after all people often compared her to Agatha Cackle.

"No Agatha Cackle is a bad person, when you nearly lost your sister you could not deal with it, you regretted what you had done, people like Agatha don't care about other people but you do which is how I know you are not a bad person" Mildred told her with an smile. Mildred did not see Ethel as a bad person at all, she did not like how she bullied people but the girl was not evil not even close. After an few moments Mildred stood up then offered her hand to the other girl helping her up.

Ethel took her hand and stood up smiling softly at the dark haired girl but a proper smile, not an smirk the girl was known for.

"Thank you for ...you know" Ethel told her not exactly sure how to thank her.

"You are welcome" Mildred replied hoping the girl and her would stay on better terms. Ethel made for the door now that she looked presentable and was feeling better.

"Oh Ethel" Mildred said stopping her. Ethel stopped with her hand on the door.

"Some of us would give anything to have sisters like yours and sisters like yours do not come around to often so don't take them for granted, stop pushing them away so much and let them in" Mildred suggested having seen herself how sometimes Ethel could reject Esmerelda because of her jealousy and it actually scared Mildred because she knew that one day the elder girl might get sick of it and give up on Ethel and by then it would be to late to save their relationship.

"I think you might be right" Ethel replied not wanting to say that the girl was actually right even if she knew she was. Mildred rolled her eyes telling herself some things, like Ethel's stubbornness to admit she is in the wrong will never change.

* * *

The advice Mildred had given to Ethel seemed to have gone into her head because Ethel left the storeroom in search of Sybil or Esmeralda, first seeing Sybil down the next corridor she stopped.

"Sybs I got you something" Ethel said as she reached into her pocket pulling out a bar of chocolate and it was Sybil's favourite type, they were not allowed chocolate in the school but Ethel had sneaked it in and had been planning on keeping it for herself but had changed her mind. Mildred was right maybe she should be nicer to her sisters, after all they both were nice to her even though they could have easily pretended she did not exist like their parents.

Sybil took it but eyed it suspiciously wondering what she had done to it.

"It is not poisoned, do you really think I would try kill you? There would be two of us dead if I did" Ethel reassured her knowing Esmerelda would kill her before her parents could even get a hold of her if she killed her little sister. Sybil took it and smiled.

"Why are you being nice?" Sybil asked used to her sister tormenting her.

"I am older than you I am just looking after you and I like to see you happy, don't tell Esmie though you know she will go on about it ruining your teeth" Ethel told her little sister.

"Thanks Ethel" Sybil said hugging her sister happily before skipping off something she normally only did with the eldest girl.

Ethel smiled and then went to find her other sister and found her in her favourite spot. The library. The eldest girl had her head in an book and Ethel quietly walked over to her. Once she was close to her she wrapped her arms around her neck hugging her and then kissed her cheek.

"Ethie...as much as I like you being affectionate...are you okay?" Esmie asked knowing her sister was not normally the one to be affectionate. In fact the girl normally had to force her into even a hug.

"I am great" Ethel said hugging her more "I just realised that I should not take you for granted"

"Who are you and what have you done with my sister?" Esmerelda asked unable to believe what she was hearing.

"Oh well if you want me to ignore you again I can do that" Ethel said sadly in reply.

Esmerelda smiled and moved to hug her sister properly. After an few seconds Ethel pulled away and opened her bag putting a book on the table.

"Can you help me with this essay for spell science? Mr Rowan-Webb droned on so much I ended up zoning out" Ethel admitted. Esmerelda laughed knowing how much that man could go on. She might be the 'star pupil' but even she struggles to stay awake when Mr Rowan-Webb got started.

"That man always goes on, Gullet is evil but at least I did not nearly fall asleep as soon as she spoke" Esmerelda replied as Ethel laughed and her sister explained the essay. It was not that Esmeralda had never offered to help her sister before it was the fact Ethel always refused her help so this was a big step.

* * *

After that day things seemed to have changed. Ethel did stop pushing her sisters away and was much closer to them. As for her and Mildred they were more friendly to each other and stopped trying to outsmart each other though they did have their moments but no-one could expect them not to fight sometimes.

"I wouldn't add that if I were you" Ethel hinted in their potions lessons as she saw what ingredient Mildred was about to add.

"Sensitive potion, to much gillyweed will make it explode" Ethel told Mildred.

"But then how do I stop that happening?" Mildred asked confused.

"Cut the gillyweed smaller, it makes it easier to add the right amount" Ethel told her kindly.

"Oh right...thanks Ethel!" Mildred said with an smile.

"No thank you...you kind of helped me with my built up emotions and stuff as well" Ethel replied.

"Well we both win then" Mildred replied smiling at her worse enemy, she was actually glad she had said what she said or neither of them might of confessed anything.

If someone was to ask either girl if they were friends now they would say yes, sure they would never be best friends but friends nonetheless and now Cackle's Academy was a much happier place all around because finally Mildred Hubble and Ethel Hallow understood each other.


End file.
